Frazz by Jef Mallett for May 18, 2015

Ha! The smirk on Caulfield’s face when overhearing that conversation… :-D

Most online crosswords will give you a grade or rating.

is test scores really teaching?

Did she get downgraded for not showing her working?

with a red pencil…

“You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting.”

Out of the mouths of babes come Jef’s stand on education method.

How many times do you get graded during your educational career? Why do we do this?

OTOH there is a big difference between sports training (strength, technique, skills, teamwork if applicable) and sports competition. But hopefully one improves the ratings in the other.

Just give everyone an A. Then they can compete equally in the world of finding a job.

Nice one Caufield!

bigpuma probably won’t approve, but I like that prank personally.

I tend to find the comment of the girl (“being judged”) and Caulfield’s “grading” of the crossword puzzle to both be rather obnoxious. Grades are not “judgements”, they are simply a measure of performance (aka effort). They are simply a reflection of your effort in a course or on an assignment. I get a LOT of students every semester who complain about their grade not being what they “need” to get into this-or-that program. I, as politely-as-possible, grit my teeth and try to explain that the grade is simply a reflection of your effort and understanding of the topic. If you “need” some specific grade, you need to work to master at least that percentage level of the course.

Tests have pedagogical value. Pointing out errors on tests has pedagogical value. Grading everyone over and over and over is just a measure of our passion for ranking people.

The real issue is the balance of criticism to praise. Sometimes students receive a constant stream of criticism (in the form of pointing out every error they make, frequently at considerable length!) but are rarely or never told what they did well. That serves to undermine both confidence and student engagement. -My fifth grader’s teachers have primarily taken the critical approach. I know how much effort the teachers are putting in to write such detailed comments, but I have to be careful how much of it I share with my daughter, or she just gives up. She has lost confidence in her own abilities, and really feels the culture of criticism. -By contrast, my first grader’s teacher marks how many questions the students get right and points out the improvements they are making. The detailed comments are a mix or praise for things done well and constructive criticism on areas that need more work. Instead of feeling torn down, she feels like she is making improvements and doing well. -My fifth grader is gifted and my first grader is dyslexic. It is telling that the first grader feels better than the fifth grader about her academic abilities.

Try to convince our local school district suits that there is no value in testing. Innovation is anathema to them, stagnation is the ideal. Go figure.

Caulfield NEVER misses an opportunity.

I like Caulfield in the first frame – he’s getting an IDEA. Not that we really have to see that to know who’s responsible.